History lesson
It’s hard to believe this north-east home housed 80 pupils at one time and its lounge was a classroom in a former life. Donna Ross goes back to school for the day and takes a look at the beautifully converted property in Fetternear
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WHEN Jill and Paul Holroyd bought Old Fetternear School in the small hamlet of Fetternear at the beginning of 2002, they were faced with a major renovation project.
Their neighbours, who live in the former headmaster’s house, owned the derelict school dating back to 1820, and their children used it as a playground and store.
“We certainly had to keep an open mind when we were viewing it,” Jill laughed.
“It hadn’t been used for a number of years and the building was starting to crumble.”
The couple weren’t put off and moved from their house in Aberdeen out to the site with their two children, Milly, who was four at the time, and Alex, who was 18 months, and lived in two caravans during the renovations.
Local builder Roy Jones, from Rhynie, started work in the summer of 2002 to transform the property.
The first job was to instal a septic tank and a soak-away, then builders could start gutting the building.
“We had to gut the whole thing, taking the roof and the plaster work off. Basically, we had to turn it into a shell before we could start work.”
“We found some interesting things when we started. When we lifted the floorboards, there were old bottles and the slates the children would have used to practise their writing on.”
At the time, Paul worked during the evening, which meant he could dedicate his time during the day onsite. The couple carried out the majority of the work themselves, doing everything from shovelling to insulating, tiling and decorating.
“It certainly was a learning curve,” Jill smiled.
“At one point in the winter, it got as cold as minus 15 degrees and our water supplies froze – the cushions in the caravan were even stuck to the walls due to the condensation freezing.
“When I look back, I don’t know how we managed, but I suppose we just had to adapt to our new life and crack on with the work.”
Their hard work and determination paid off in October, 2003, when they moved into their beautifully renovated family home.
Jill and Paul tried to retain as many of its original features as they could to keep with the theme of the school.
“We wanted to stay away from a modern look and keep as many traditional features as possible. We originally wanted to keep the school’s flooring as it had a spring in it, but unfortunately it was rotten underneath so we kept it and used it for things like picture frames,” Jill explained.
“We also kept some of the pitch pine and used it in the family bathroom. It sounds funny, but we liked the headmaster’s old-fashioned toilet and high cistern so we kept it and used it in the cloakroom toilet.”
The exceptionally spacious lounge features an open fire set within a cast-iron fireplace, and there are french doors leading out to the garden.
“When we bought the house, there were blackboards all round the walls in the lounge. It’s amazing to think it was a classroom.
“It is one of our favourite rooms as it is kept warm thanks to the sunshine streaming through the patio doors.”
The well proportioned kitchen has been fitted with a wide range of quality units and has a dining/family room on open plan which can accommodate a wide range of furniture.
“The open-plan living area is where the children ate, and there was a big stove there when we viewed the house.
“The room is huge, with 17ft high ceilings giving you a great sense of space.”
Accommodation is completed by four generously proportioned double bedrooms, the master bedroom with a spacious en-suite bathroom, and a family bathroom.
The couple love their home and have also received the seal of approval from locals in the street.
“In the 1930s, the school was at its biggest, with about 80 pupils – some of them still live in the street. When we bought the school, I think they were suspicious about what we were going to do to the building. They have had a look inside and are really pleased with what we have done.”
Another major job was the garden – 80 tonnes of tarmac and rubble was moved to allow work to start.
Today, there are gardens to the front of the property, with a vegetable patch and fruit trees, and there is an area of wooden decking to the side which is ideal for alfresco dining.
“The house is in an elevated position and has fantastic views – the walls surrounding the property protect it from rabbits and deer destroying your garden, but you can still see them.”
During their time at the house, their third child, Toby, was born and Jill is expecting twins at the end of the year.
“We are really sad to be going, but Paul’s work as a music teacher means he has to travel north a lot and we would prefer to be closer to his work.
“We will possibly try doing something like this in the future, but I think the work would be too much for us at the moment.”
Old Fetternear School, Fetternear, Inverurie, is on the market for offers over £370,000. For further information, call selling agent Aberdein Considine & Co on 01467 621263.
